Lungisa’s election could open up a can of worms for ANC – Mantashe

African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Gwede Mantashe is reportedly concerned that flouting of the governing party’s constitution following the election of the newly elected Nelson Mandela Bay chairperson Andile Lungisa could “open up a can of worms”.

In an interview with Business Day, Mantashe said if the ANC “fudged” its rules – regarding Lungisa’s election to lead a lower structure while sitting on the party’s provincial executive committee – it could result in others doing so.

“If we handle this clumsily, it will open a big can of worms because there is a long list of people who were stopped from standing in lower organs,” Mantashe said.

The secretary-general said he had warned Lungisa against contravening the party’s rules, but he publicly insulted him, saying Mantashe was “protecting his faction”.

According to the report, Lungisa reportedly belongs to the so-called “Premier League” faction – an informal ANC lobby group purportedly led by the premiers and party provincial chairmen of North West, Mpumalanga, and Free State said to have the backing of President Jacob Zuma.

Lungisa’s election was praised by Zuma at the weekend, exposing cracks within the ANC as its leadership race heats up ahead of its December conference to elect new national leadership.

Lungisa is set to face disciplinary action for his personal insults against Mantashe. However, the ANC’s disciplinary committee has reportedly not received a charge sheet on the matter as yet.

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